Cape Kiwanda is the southern-most of the three capes and has been designated as the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. The dominant landmark of the area is a large off-shore "haystack", the second largest on the Oregon Coast.
Cape Kiwanda is not as large as the other two capes, but is marked by high sandstone bluffs that are very unstable. Certain areas are not recommended to walk on and are roped-off. Nevertheless, many people ignore the warnings and we saw people all over the bluffs. The area is also marked by a high sand dune that many people were climbing up and running, sliding, or falling down.
Cape Kiwanda has also been the home of the local dory boat fleet for over a hundred years. Once, a fleet of almost 300 commercial fisherman launced and recovered their flat-bottomed fishing boats directly through the surf from this beach. As the north coast commercial fishing industry has evolved, only a few commercial fisherman remain, but many recreational fisherman have kept the tradition alive. Today, we watched several fishing boats land through the surf. They approach the beach at high speed, sounding their warning siren for people on the beach to get out of the way. After the boat is beached, a 4-wheel drive truck with a special trailer tows the boat further on-shore and winchs it onto the trailer. It is a busy scene as multiple boats arrive. Apparently their timing depending on when the off-shore wind shifts in the afternoon. We also one fishing boat depart in the afternoon, launching through the surf.
We also hiked up the dune
and had a good look at the other side of the cape as well as an excellent view of Cape Lookout to the north.
After lunch at "Fat Freddy's" in Pacific City, we did some grocery shopping and returned to the RV park. Judy made fish and chips that rivals anything available on the coast and we settled in for the evening.
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